Computer-aided software engineering

Several papers by Daniel Teichroew fired a whole generation of enthusiasts with the potential of automated systems development.

It was the linking of the concept of a dictionary holding analysts' metadata, as derived from the use of an integrated set of techniques, together with the graphical representation of such data that gave rise to the earlier versions of CASE.

While DesignAid ran on Convergent Technologies and later Burroughs Ngen networked microcomputers, Index launched Excelerator on the IBM PC/AT platform.

Hot on the heels of Excelerator were a rash of offerings from companies such as Knowledgeware (James Martin, Fran Tarkenton and Don Addington), Texas Instrument's CA Gen and Andersen Consulting's FOUNDATION toolset (DESIGN/1, INSTALL/1, FCP).

Many of the leaders of the CASE market of the early 1990s ended up being purchased by Computer Associates, including IEW, IEF, ADW, Cayenne, and Learmonth & Burchett Management Systems (LBMS).

Eventually, these diverse tool sets and methods were consolidated via standards led by the Object Management Group (OMG).

[citation needed] CASE tools support specific tasks in the software development life-cycle.

Lower CASE Tools support development activities, such as physical design, debugging, construction, testing, component integration, maintenance, and reverse engineering.

An environment is a collection of CASE tools or workbenches that attempts to support the complete software process.